It is often said that Italy knows how to sell its products very well. It is almost a recurring lament from Spain when observing the international prestige of so many products from our Mediterranean neighbors. And the truth is that a walk through Pitti Taste is like diving headlong into that sensation. The gastronomic event that is held every year in Florence brings together producers from all over the country and allows you to discover and taste oils, sausages, pastas, wines and sweets and get a general map of the wonderful Italian pantry. Walking around there in the last edition we also discovered what are usually noted as the best eggs in the world, from Tuscany and with the signature of Paolo Parisi. But what is so special about them?
“Eggs really wouldn’t be anything special if everyone did things right, a product like mine would be unremarkable,” Parisi explains to us. Dressed in that hat with which he is usually seen, the most famous chef and farmer in Tuscany has been producing these eggs for more than 20 years on his farm Le Macchie, near Pisa, where he also has goats and cows.
These eggs have been, in fact, one of the protagonists of this latest edition of Taste, held last February. Parisi was responsible for a brunch that was part of an artistic project around the egg and the menu included one of his best-known dishes: l’uovo da bere, cooked at 61 degrees for hours and served with oil and capers. An egg was also served along with egg jelly fermented with sake and kombu, and mayonnaise made, of course, with these same eggs.
As all the country’s great chefs who have become Parisi’s clients often highlight, the creaminess of the yolk is one of the distinctive elements of a truly delicious egg, well above average. Some even find a flavor reminiscent of almond, although the format in which it was served did not allow for these nuances.
But better than those that, for example, produce and sell Cobardes y Gallinas in Spain? The question is obligatory, but in the absence of a tasting, the important thing is to understand that we are talking about the same level: eggs of excellent quality and, yes, at a price far from what is seen in supermarkets and that are around or exceed the euro for each egg.
“Eggs on the market are very often, in fact, in most cases, qualitatively a disaster. But it doesn’t take much to make an excellent product like any farmer would produce for himself,” defends Parisi. In his case, the choice of breed and diet are the two to achieve this quality.
The trick is, he explains, to include goat’s milk in the chickens’ feed. This protein achieves the aforementioned creamier yolk due to a greater amount of fat and also boasts a greater capacity to integrate air when cooking, which is why they are also very suitable for sauces such as, for example, mayonnaise.
Why goat milk? Very easy. “It happened because I am against the soy lobby and also simply because I had goats on the farm. The combination of all these factors has created a successful formula that has allowed me to produce a superior egg for over twenty years,” she details.
A pioneer in agrotourism in Italy many decades ago, he prefers to define himself as a breeder. “I don’t like the term entrepreneur, it is often associated with speculation and the ability to get rich,” he tells us when we try to put a label on what he does.
The fact is that their products are for sale in hundreds of stores throughout the country and they enjoy well-deserved fame. And outside of Italy? They can be sent throughout Europe, he acknowledges, but it does not seem ideal. “I am convinced that, being a perishable and delicate product, it is incorrect to send them far away. My dream would be to start licensed productions in places other than Italy,” he details.
The unique packaging in which these eggs are sold with Parisi’s face, an egg and a protective paper that contains seeds that can be planted, also shows great marketing work.
In fact, at Taste these eggs were not only eaten, they were also turned into art. The ‘New Egg’ project created by artists Stella Scala and Simeone Crispino (Vedovamazzei) and presented by Giannoni gallery
Different design pieces created for the chickens, which ran around delighted by their luxurious homes and the attention of visitors. “The best-known quality egg producer in the world is part of the project, as a symbol of its vision that combines ethics, attention to biodiversity and creativity around a new way of understanding the connection between humans, animals and nature,” they explain. those responsible for New Egg.
“The use of art is nothing more than a form of communication. Art is universal and without a doubt develops lasting communication,” summarizes Parisi. But aren’t we in danger of turning something as popular and affordable as an egg into a luxury object? “Indeed, the egg is the icon of low-cost proteins, but we can safely affirm that due to its quality it can be considered a luxury item,” defends Parisi.